Preview

NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State baseball returns to action this weekend as host of a rare four-team, round-robin, three-day affair at Marty L. Miller Field.

The Spartans welcome three foes from the northeast, Sacred Heart, Iona and Stony Brook. Marty L. Miller Field will host two games a day, with each team playing the other three squads once apiece.

NSU plays Sacred Heart in the weekend’s first game at 1 p.m. Friday. Iona and Stony Brook then play at 5 p.m.

Saturday’s slate includes NSU vs. Iona at noon, followed by Stony Brook and Scared Heart at 4 p.m. Sunday’s final day features Iona vs. Sacred Heart at 11 a.m., with the Spartans facing Stony Brook at 3 p.m.

Scouting the SpartansNSU enters the weekend in search of its first win after falling in three straight games to Villanova last weekend at home. The Spartans got seven strikeouts apiece from starting pitchers Chase Anderson, Jonathan Mahoney and Trey Hanchey against Villanova. Anderson allowed just one unearned run over six innings of a no-decision in the season-opener.

Mahoney, a JC transfer making his first start at NSU, fanned seven in just 4.2 innings. He allowed just one earned run in his first four frames before Villanova broke through with four more runs in the fifth. Hanchey, a transfer from Virginia Wesleyan also making his first start in the green and gold, allowed three hits and three runs over five innings of the series finale.

Offensively, catcher Ismael Herrera and shortstop Jaran Davis each hit .333 in two games. Designated hitter Stephen Baughan had a team-best three hits during the series, including two in the opener. First baseman Tony Leite had two doubles, two RBI and stole two bases and fellow senior Justin Burrell hit the team’s first homer of the season, a solo shot in game two. As a team, the Spartans posted four stolen bases and five doubles in the three games with Villanova.

Scouting the OppositionSacred Heart will be opening its season this weekend. The Pioneers of the Northeast Conference went 23-26 last season, including a 14-13 mark in NEC play. They were predicted to finish third in their conference this season. SHU returns eight regular hitters from its 2017 lineup, led by senior P.J. DeFilippo (.315, 44 RBI0. On the mound, James Taubl (5-8, 4.85), Brent Teller (4-3, 4.43) and Baylor Sundahl (4-6, 4.21) all return to the pitching staff after combining for more than 250 innings pitched last season.

Iona is 0-3 on the young season after dropping a three-game series at Charlotte last weekend. The Gaels, who were picked to finish sixth in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), hit .269 for the three-game set at Charlotte but surrendered 25 runs. Infielder Sean Scales hit .583 (7-for-12) and preseason All-MAAC pick Fran Kinsey batted .385 (5-for-13) with three runs scored. Iona went 25-26 overall, 14-10 in the MAAC, advancing all the way to the MAAC Tournament championship round in 2017.

Stony Brook opened the season with a 3-1 record in a four-game series at Nicholls State in Louisiana last weekend. The Seawolves took the first three games of the series. Outfielder Michael Wilson swung a hot bat during the opening weekend, hitting .375 (6-for-16) with four runs scored. Infielder Brandon Alamo hit a pair of solo home runs in the series. Stony Brook, a 2012 College World Series participant and 2015 America East champion, returns pitchers who accounted for 50 of the team’s 52 starts last season, led by all-conference right hander Brian Herrmann.